The art of the Tee.
A T-shirt is like a greeting card for the people you encounter in the course of your day.
I grew up in the 60s and 70s, which just so happens to be the era when graphic t-shirts became a thing. Is the graphic t-shirt a billboard, a greeting card, a badge, a protest sign, a dry commentary on life, a riddle, a slogan, a proclamation? I think it’s all of these, and more.
Jolly Roger
If you wear this t-shirt, what is your message? Perhaps you see yourself as a pirate, flying your freak flag. And yet, it’s more playful than dark, almost cheerful. It’s inspired by a 1929 Silly Symphony called Skeleton Dance.
RŒBEYL.
And what about this one? Are you trying to confuse me? What does this even say? ROBEL? REBEL in green. OBEY in red. And a cautionary yellow where they overlap. I don’t know whether to obey or rebel. Maybe that’s the point?
SUP.
I wear this one a lot, because it represents how I feel about life. I wear it when I’m feeling playful and inviting. And then I forget I’m wearing it, and I’m walking down the street, and a total stranger says SUP! And it makes me smile.
Yes you CAN.
This is an award-winning design! Every month, Threadless, the store where I sell my t-shirts, has a design contest. Winners get prizes and their designs get custom-printed and featured in the Threadless store. I’m proud of this one, not just because it won, but because of the message it conveys to the people I meet, and because it makes people smile.
Heck, if you’ve scrolled this far, I might as well send you to the store, right?